NOVPUBChapter 1032: 321. Bound Blood Remnants_2
As of now, his Harmless Deconstruction progress in “Bustling Tunnel” had reached 3%.
Most of the progress was obtained through the deconstruction of wizard forces’ exploration teams.
The deconstruction results could be described with the “Wizard’s Death Encyclopedia,” also known as “A Hundred Ways Wizards Have Died in the ‘Bustling Tunnel’.”
Apart from “Rotting Howl,” there were at least five other howls within the “Bustling Tunnel.”
Such as the “Illusion Scream,” for instance.
A mysterious side effect with hallucinogenic properties, it could plunge a person into an illusion where reality and fantasy were indistinguishable.
...
In a fragment of memory, Noland Lee saw a wizard afflicted by “Illusion Scream,” tearing at their own body with a file in a mosaic of images.
Only after Noland Lee had repeatedly confirmed that the mental effects of the howls could be resisted with “Mental Shield” did he entertain the idea of venturing into the Pollution Zone.
Having left the Wealth Creation Society’s Plas Fort, he returned to Pulas Castle to discuss the next steps with Mabel and Denise Green.
Together with Silent Witch Louisa Roberts, the two agreed to help Noland Lee conceal his whereabouts and fabricate the illusion that he was convalescing within the castle.
Meanwhile, Noland Lee himself, armed with his mechanos and blessed by Denise Green, returned to the Dark Zone that he hadn’t visited for several days.
The Pollution Zone possessed the feature known as “Spatial Transfer.”
Wizards who entered it would be randomly teleported to some corner of the Pollution Zone.
Basing his actions on this feature, Noland Lee simply chose an empty spot and entered the grey blood vessel passages of the “Bustling Tunnel.”
Beforehand, he had cast “Breath of the Dead,” “Perception Enhancement,” and three shield spells, and had also consumed a “Dark Vision Potion.”
The moment he entered the passage in Skeleton Form, the roaring winds bombarded his ears fiercely.
“Whoosh — Ha — Hiss — Crack crack crack —”
It sounded like the piercing shrieks of wind rushing through a narrow rocky crevice and the noise of willow branches being whipped up by the wind against the tree trunks.
The overlapping barrage of noises around his ears was bewildering, causing disorientation and a near loss of consciousness.
[System Message:]
[You are affected by “Endless Bustle.”]
[A willpower-related test is underway.]
[Your willpower is at 180 points.]
[Test passed!]
[You have negated the mental damage from “Endless Bustle.” Your willpower temporarily decreases by 10 points.]
[Please note, in 10 minutes “Endless Bustle” will reassess you.]
[Additionally, you’ve acquired the negative effect “Casting Difficulty (Level 1).”]
[Your casting consumption increases by 1000%, and your casting preparation duration by 100%.]
[Upon the next “Endless Bustle” reassessment, “Casting Difficulty” will advance one level, increasing casting consumption by another 1000% and casting preparation duration by another 100%.]
“Here it comes, the negative effect known as ‘Wizard Killer’ revered by all wizard forces, it’s here,” he thought.
Noland Lee glanced at the system message, keeping relatively calm inside.
He reached into his Magic Pouch, amidst the howling winds, and grasped a bottle of Magic Potion to consume.
[You’ve consumed “Casting Concentration Potion (Level 10).”]
[“Casting Difficulty (Level 1)” effect of “casting preparation duration increased by 100%” is now ineffective. Your casting preparation duration has returned to normal.]
This potion was one of the Magical Items Noland Lee had specifically prepared.
In his pocket, he also carried Casting Concentration Potions ranging from Level 20 to Level 100.
Noland Lee looked around, his gaze sweeping over the dimly lit passage, and saw a scene utterly different from observing the “Bustling Tunnel” from outside.
From the outside, one would see the continuously writhing, thick black blood vessels with occasional burst of wind and noise from the sores on their surfaces.
But inside the “Bustling Tunnel,” all that could be seen were the mottled stone passages and walls, floors, and ceilings crisscrossed with bloodstains.
This was a sight eerily familiar to Noland Lee.
The first Pollution Zone he encountered was opened by Sisibirk at the sea’s surface.
That Pollution Zone contained not only Shubick’s tentacled creatures but also the willpower of the Dusk Giant Omisgard.
The second Pollution Zone he came across was in Union City’s Fissure Corridor.
The initiator of this Pollution Zone was the Blood Sun Seal, and it also featured Artificial Angels from the Angel Enterprises Alliance.
The third Pollution Zone he was experiencing now seemed to also contain two distinct extraordinary elements.
Black, huge writhing blood vessels marked by sores.
Noisy, dimly lit stone passages smeared with bloodstains.
One was made of flesh and blood, the other of rock.
Their connection was…
Noland Lee squinted slightly, turning his eyes toward the dark bloodstains that spread from the depths of the tunnel down to his feet.
When he was deconstructing the exploration teams, he had noticed the bloodstains within the passage.
The exploration teams had collected some of the bloodstains to study, but as a result, they brought upon themselves negative mystical effects. 𝔫𝖔𝔳𝔭𝔲𝔟.𝖈𝔬𝔪
A few wizards who specialized in Blood Magic Power even boldly tasted the mysterious black bloodstains.
Their endings weren’t pleasant; one by one, they exploded into ashes, leaving no chance for a Resurrection Blood Pool revival.
Noland Lee was curious about the origins of the bloodstains.
Since he couldn’t use the Deconstruction technique on the bloodstains seen in memory sequences, he had to step into this place himself to get a clear view of the bloodstains and consequently the Deconstruction Results.
“System, target this dried bloodstain for Harmless Deconstruction,” Noland Lee said.
After a brief consideration, he added:
“Let’s start with consuming 100 million points of energy to give it a try.”
A faint sense of disorientation flickered through him, and large blocks of text refreshed in his mind.
